Partnership to Build $400M Protopian Municipality in Utah County

Rainbird Development Company, BLLC has announced a partnership with Rainbird Village Municipality to build a $400 million resident-owned producer cooperative in Utah County. The initiative aims to establish a prototype 'Home Rule' community that embodies the concept of 'Thrivability,' as defined by Michelle Holliday in her book, The Age of Thrivability. This concept emphasizes the ongoing ability of life to thrive at every level within a living system.

The partnership conducted a comprehensive SWOT analysis of various community models, including ecovillages, co-housing, communes, and company towns. The analysis revealed that the Mondragon Cooperative, a global network of producer cooperatives originating in Spain, scored highest in longevity, scalability, and OECD Well-being Framework metrics. Building on the strengths of the Mondragon model, the new community will incorporate limited hierarchy, employee ownership, and liquid democracy to achieve a regenerative living system.

The proposed design includes several key elements:

Jobs: All residents will be employee-owners of the municipal producer cooperative, providing products and services for the public good. These include municipal operations management, fresh and value-added food products from on-site regenerative agriculture, maker spaces, education services, health and wellness services, and recreation and hospitality.

Housing: Residents will be provided housing maintained by the cooperative as a benefit of employee-ownership, eliminating the need for mortgage payments, utilities, and other housing-related expenses. Housing equity will be replaced with stock equity in the cooperative, allowing residents to control their prosperity based on their productivity.

Fresh and Value-added Food: In addition to eating at the municipal cafeteria, residents can purchase food from an on-site farmers market, general store, or hospitality restaurants using cash or village tokens.

Education: The cooperative will offer subsidized job-related education for resident employee-owners and their families, including on-site K-12 programs, mentored skills training, workshops, and higher education through a Regenerative Arts & Ecology Institute.

Healthcare: Beyond employer healthcare insurance, residents can access health and wellness services provided by the cooperative using cash or village tokens.

Banking: Employee-owners will be members of a municipal credit union offering routine banking services.

By saving an average of 50% of their take-home pay on housing and commuting costs, and by mitigating healthcare and education expenses, residents can focus on thriving in vocations that align with their purpose. This model aims to free people from the economic pressures of conventional society, enabling them to live more fulfilling lives.

Harrison Quigley, Co-founder of Rainbird Development Company, emphasizes that this initiative goes beyond sustainability to achieve a regenerative system that continuously improves symbiotic living systems. The goal is to create a 'Protopian' society, a term coined by futurist Kevin Kelly, which denotes a community that can incrementally improve due to the freedom of its members.

Rainbird Development has identified an ideal location in Utah County for this project and is seeking funding for Phase One, which includes acquisition, development, and the launch of municipal operations.

For more information, visit https://www.rainbirddev.com.